Three weeks later. . . .
I've been a little busy, but I thought I better post a response before it's time for the next meet! (I'm probably supposed to insert an 'lol' or a happy-face here to indicate it's a joke, but I just can't bring myself to use these contrived devices -- if you have to diagram it, it's not really funny -- but then, all this is for another post. . . ) Memories are already beginning to fade of course, but to me, there was no question as to the star of the show. . . . . Drewski's eggrolls!!!!! They were the best I've ever had -- from "Eggroll King," I think it was. . . .
But seriously, it was a great experience for me, and I'd like to once again thank Joey for being such a good host. Everyone I met there seemed genuinely nice, and miraculously, there were no signs of jerks! I'm still a novice at this whole headphone thing, and to be honest, it was all a bit overwhelming. The sources alone were amazing 'ear-openers' for me, and combine them with all the incredible headphones & amps there, and I could have been listening for hours!
Alas, I was not terribly systematic in my listening strategy, and I didn't take any notes, but as far as amps, like most of the people there, I too was probably most wowed by the Sugden. I thought the Gilmore definitely held its own, though, and I remain an extremely happy Gilmore owner.
One highlight for me was the opportunity to finally try the Sennheiser HD-600's (with the Blue Clou cable). I thought they sounded silky & lush, and if I were a little richer, I wouldn't mind owning a pair in addition to my Grado SR-325's, which I also love. Yes, the two sounds are quite different, but I like them both (and don't quite understand the extreme either/or attitude of so many Head-fi'ers. . . .
Speaking of Grados, I was thrilled to try out the RS-1's, and loved them, but not necessarily more than my SR-325's, and certainly not a lot more. One thing I got to do was to a/b my SR-325's with the Sennheiser earpads with some SR-325's with regular bowl pads, and I was surprised to find a lot less of a difference than I do when I try this at home. I guess this is because of the better sources at the meet, but the bowl pads seemed a lot more tolerable.
Like others, I was excited to finally get to audition the legendary HP-2's, but as LobsterSan put it, I too was a little underwhelmed. I didn't have much time with them, and would love to try them again, but I was left wondering about the whole transparency/neutrality standard, and where my tastes lie in relation to this.
I love my Gilmore-amped SR-325's, and find them to be incredibly dynamic, with wonderfully detailed highs that I don't usually find overly bright. At their worst, I agree that the highs can be shrill, but much of this seems dependent on the source. . . .
What's so great is, at the meet, I got to check out so much incredible equipment, with regard to which I remain in awe; yet, I'm still very happy with my own stuff! In a couple of days, I should be receiving my Usher CD-100 (aka the Shanling CD-S100, but best known as the Music Hall MMF-CD25), which I just bought off of Audiogon, and I'm hoping this new decent source will allow my SR-325's to flourish. Sorry I took so long to post my impressions, and now that I have, sorry for rambling on. I'll shut up now.
Bob