[Destroysall]

Hey guys; so this meet was a blast! Despite all the downpour from the enigmatic weather of Arizona, we all made it! Thanks to all that attended! Please post your impressions and further comments here.

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My quick impressions (I will elaborate on more later). I wasn't able to listen to everyone's setup, but for those who did I will comment.
 
The first setup I ventured into listening to was the Koss ESP/950 being powered by the Cavalli Audio eXStatA headphone amp (which was gorgeous) and the sound was extremely relaxing. It was smooth, not as organic; best word would be "chill".
 
Available at the meet were the PSB headphones, the M4U 2. Now these were something. I normally don't care for commercial consumer products like Bose (who are known for their Active-Noise Cancelling tech), but these headphones were something special. They presented a nice, wide sound stage; maintained an organic quality; and sealed pretty well as soon as I placed them on. Definitely recommended to those seeking something with such technology; especially for those adventurous people.
 
The next headphone that I will say I absolutely fell for was the Beyerdynamic T1. Now of course, it didn't sit with my little HiFiMAN all too well, but it sang when paired with the Woo Audio WA6.
 
Now with a discussion in amps, I must make note of the little guy who surprised me: the Schiit Magni headphone amp. This amp is not to be heckled with for it's size or price, it can sing and I instantly would give it a crown over the EF2A anytime. Through this, the buzz during this meet was that Schiit has a new tube amp in the works, and I am definitely excited to try that one myself as well.
 
Another amp (or receiver I should say) that caught my attention was the old Pioneer SX-980. This is good technology at one of it's finest. It reassures everyone that even the oldest of electronics can still pack a hard punch. The headphone that I primarily tested the receiver with was the Philips Fidelio X-1.
 
Now the Fidelio X-1 is a headphone I've only read and seen photos about. It is perhaps the second headphone in the meet that really caught my attention. It is very laid back; comfortable; aesthetically pleasing; and overall very organic in it's sound signature. It was flexible in how it confronted various styles of music, which is definitely a huge plus in my book. I could listen to it all day.
 
Anyway, I'll stop there and will post more when I can.

 

[Muinarc]

I will share some pictures of a few tables for everyone.
 
I had a great time and really enjoyed our conversations on music, gear, and the head-fi hobby in general. I thank everyone for being so willing to share as well.
 
A big thank you to Destroysall for getting everything organized!
 

 

[StratocasterMan]

I'm going to have to kill whoever brought the Fostex TH600s to that meet.
 
There were lots of headphones that I didn't get to try, but I had a chance to try those right at the end for a quick minute.
 
They instantly went from being not even on my radar at all to my favorites of the meet and now I have to think about how I could possibly afford them. Those are some killer rock headphones! 

 
But seriously, thanks to everyone for a great meet. I think I may have won the longest travel award with my 200 mile round trip to be there. I had a lot of fun listening to stuff over in the "punk rock corner." I know at least one person discovered the greatness of Bob Dylan's "Sweetheart Like You" from 'Infidels' and another Beck's "Paper Tiger" from 'Sea Change.' Thanks to Destroysall for the work in putting the meet together and the Miles Davis 'Kind Of Blue' upgrade, although it looks like it will only be fleeting based on the reviews of the new HDTracks 192/24 remaster.
 
I had a great time and only wish I had been able to try some of the stuff I missed. The room was just about the perfect size for the turnout and worked out very well, I thought. I think the only thing we were lacking was a few extra power strips to alleviate the outlet shortage, so I'll remember to bring some next time. Can't wait for the next one!

 

[Destroysall]

  although it looks like it will only be fleeting based on the reviews of the new HDTracks 192/24 remaster.

Oh wow. I hadn't known that. I wonder if it's the MoFi master (which is to be released sometime before the new year).. Still a nice heads up for sure. 

 

[StratocasterMan]

  Oh wow. I hadn't known that. I wonder if it's the MoFi master (which is to be released sometime before the new year).. Still a nice heads up for sure. 

 
It doesn't answer your question, but here's the video about the remaster:
 

 

[StratocasterMan]

  Hey guys; so this meet was a blast! Thanks to all that attended! Please post your impressions and further comments here.

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Now with a discussion in amps, I must make note of the little guy who surprised me: the Schiit Magni headphone amp. This amp is not to be heckled with for it's size or price, it can sing and I instantly would give it a crown over the EF2A anytime. Through this, the buzz during this meet was that Schiit has a new tube amp in the works, and I am definitely excited to try that one myself as well.

 
I'm sorry, but I was not impressed by the Schiit Magni. To me, it sounded bright, harsh, and grainy. It may pack some power for the price, but I didn't like its harsh tone in the upper registers, even though I only got to listen to it for a minute. I don't want to mis-interpret opinions, but even the guy who owned it said he preferred my FiiO E17 to his Schiit stack with various headphones. Maybe he was just being polite, and maybe I just prefer a warm DAC/amp, but I honestly thought my FiiO E17 DAC/amp killed the Schiit stack. The weakness from Schiit was probably the Magni amp, not the Modi DAC...
 
I think the Magni is the weak link. It's a little harsh and bright and grainy, not to be confused with revealing and detailed... Maybe the E17 isn't as revealing, but it's warmth sounds better to me... 

 

[Destroysall]

   
I'm sorry, but I was not impressed by the Schiit Magni. To me, it sounded bright, harsh, and grainy. It may pack some power for the price, but I didn't like its harsh tone in the upper registers, even though I only got to listen to it for a minute. I don't want to mis-interpret opinions, but even the guy who owned it said he preferred my FiiO E17 to his Schiit stack with various headphones. Maybe he was just being polite, and maybe I just prefer a warm DAC/amp, but I honestly thought my FiiO E17 DAC/amp killed the Schiit stack. The weakness from Schiit was probably the Magni amp, not the Modi DAC...
 
I think the Magni is the weak link. It's a little harsh and bright and grainy, not to be confused with revealing and detailed... Maybe the E17 isn't as revealing, but it's warmth sounds better to me... 

I didn't try the Modi DAC, but the PSOne instead. I think that may have contributed to what I heard. I do enjoy the E10's amp (which I'd imagine isn't too far behind the E17), but for my DT 990 headphones, I wouldn't exactly call it a pair. Part of reasoning for enjoying the Magni was because of the proper power handling and synergy it had with the DT 990. The headphone has an impedance rating of 600 Ω, so while most amplifiers can power it, they don't do it properly.
 
I use the FiiO E10 as a dedicated source for my HiFiMAN EF2A, and the sound is radically different versus using the EF2a's integrated DAC. The EF2A can normally come across as being too bright, but the E10 warms and tames the sound. Maybe the E17 and the Magni could be a great combo?

 

[donaldj68]

Well... sorry for the late impressions response.. but the holidays and other matters were first... but I would like to thank everyone who attended and showed this noobie what this fun hobby is all about.... First and foremost, it is about the music.. and there was plenty of that to enjoy there.. whether your into vinyl, cd's, computer audio ( in my case, displayed on my new Ibasso DX50 DAP)..
 
Everyone was so kind to take some time to explain what they had brought, and of course to show off any new or favorite pieces of equipment.. and opinions and testing was going on non stop..
 
Big shoutout to Destroyall ( my feeble memory thinks his name is Chris??) and his friend Joe(??) for arranging this meet .. hoping that you both got to enjoy it all as well
 
Till next time,,
 
Don J
 
PS I am the owner of the Schiit stuff that is being discussed above and I found plenty of other equipment that could replace it there, but for a first time purchase by this "noobie" I think it has some interesting sounds to my ears