Finally some impressions! Apologies for not getting the model names all correct. My notes were kinda lacking in THOSE details... sigh.
Once again, I want to start off by thanking Chris for organizing.
HD600 + Violectric (something) amp
This one is kind of hard for me to give an relative opinion because I had never listened to either. I have read online that the HD600 was a dark, intimate Sennheiser, and in that sense, I definitely heard those traits in spades. That Sennheiser "veil" (sorry, folks, I don't ever mean to go there, but I just did) is ever present, but listening to them, I'd have to say they would be wonderful in my opera collection. Vocals were wonderful and exactly what I would want to listen to Wagner's Ring cycle (all of it!)
Grado RS1i + Violectric (something) amp
I didn't personally much care for this combination. At least not with just 10 minutes of listening. To my ears, it seemed to have peaked the highs a little more than I'm comfortable with, but again, this was just a brief first impression.
Grado RS1i + That crazy magnetic tape setup + vintage Marantz amp
I give this impression complete credit to the quality of the recording, and the recorded material. Wow. The Trinity University Jazz Ensemble sounded incredible. Pretty much exactly what the RS1i's were designed for (probably). The pace and speed, and the attack, of the percussion and instruments was right in the wheel house. Immediate and clear, yet with plenty of that instrument separation that I find so intoxicating with my favorite (of mine) pair of headphones.
Grado225i + That crazy magnetic tape setup + vintage Marantz amp
Hmmm.... it's even better than the RS1i in this combination in some (a lot) of ways. The slightly muddier sound and the more compact soundstage of the lesser Grado does nothing to show off the quality of the recording compared to the RS1i, but that wall of sound that you get when the drums are hammering and the strings are plucking exemplify Grado's in-your-face presentation like few others out there can do. Just a ton of fun.
Audeze LCD-2 + Cavalli Liquid Fire
That does it. I'm going against the grain on this one from the masses. I am not a fan of the Audeze headphones. I've given them a couple shots at these events, and they just don't do it for me. The vocals on Beethoven's 9th were phenomenal, sure, but the instrumentation and presentation is pitch black, and just not my cup of coffee. But hey, that's why we're allowed to have opinions in these threads, eh?
)
MrSpeakers Alpha Dog + Schiit Lyr
Hats off to MrSpeakers for putting these together. For a closed headphone, these are pretty awesome. I prefer instrumental material of the Alpha Dogs to the Audeze that I had just listened to moments before. I was telling my friend that if they could harness the Alpha Dog's instruments with the LCD-2's vocals, that would be a pretty bitching combination. Also having plugged my RS1i into the Lyr, I can confidently say I really would not mind owning one of those!
Sennheiser HD650 + Bottlehead Crack/Speedball (via pupDAC)
Wow. I really very much liked this combination. Clean, powerful, no inherent flaws that I could hear on first impression. Like a nice velvet smoking jacket.
Sennheiser HD800 + Bottlehead Crack/Speedball (via pupDAC)
Holy poop. Even better than the HD650 combination. If money were dropped in my lap Breaking Bad-style, I'd probably make this one of mine.
Grado RS1i + Schiit Asgard 2 (via pupDAC)
This is remarkable sound, given the lowish price of the Asgard. For the money, the Asgard 2 may be the best performing solid state amplifier. Highs were a bit sparkly, but otherwise, that's a really nice combination without having to break the bank.
Grado RS1i + ODAC/O2 amp
To my ears, this little integrated amp sounds remarkably similar to my Modi/Fiio E09K combination. If the claims that they are measurably superior to the market average, I'd have to say that's a hell of a win for the Modi/Fiio. Absolutely nothing wrong with the ODAC/O2 - just a bit boring considering what I had already listened to throughout the morning.
Leckerton amp
I very much respect the local guy putting out a product that he absolutely believes in. And it sounds good! A little clinical and lab-developed, but hey, that's not a bad thing. My only beef with it is that the volume needs to be pretty high on my not-too-demanding Grados. I might would need to max out the volume on my inefficient Q701s, or other high-impedance headphones. Also, a really nice form factor for on-the-go listening.
Fiio E18
I had higher hopes for this little amp. Maybe I had hyped it up a bit too much in my head for the price/performance, but it just wasn't for me.
Woo Audio WA6
I. Want. One. Listening to Explosions in the Sky (go local!) was a treat on these paired with the RS1i's. Absolute treat.
Beyerdynamic T1
Solidified my opinion that these are the only Beyers that I really like. I wouldn't mind some, if they weren't $1350, hahaha. I might actually pick these over the HD800.
AKG K812
I really do like these headphones quite a lot. They present music cleanly and powerfully, similar to the HD800. They are to my Q701 as the Grado SR325 are to the SR60. Better in every way, but boy do they make you pay for it. That's the only glaring fault of the 812 - they are just damnably expensive. AKG may want to see who they are targeting on the market and reconsider the price point. I'm not the first one at the meet to make that observation.
Conclusion
So, what does all this tell you? Not much, just my humble opinions. And it also reveals that the type of equipment I tend towards is the laid back, more instrumental setup. If you have similar tastes, these words might mean more to you, and if you don't, you probably didn't even make it this far and want me to shut the hell up.
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did, and hope to see you all at the coming meet(s)! I'm glad people were able to listen to things they otherwise wouldn't be able to. Happy listening!
