[DrForBin]

hello,
 
a rather small, laid back and fantastic meet in the great Northwet!
 
big thanks to @discombob for booking an awesome venue. very comfy and nice. lots of space, tables, chairs, power strips and a fridge (that fit growlers!)
@Muziqboy's rig is to die for (and if i can cash in my own life insurance, i just might, just might, be able to afford it.)

 
@BIG POPPA crashed in with @gefski and a HOT Yiggy, good times. (@gefski, glad you enjoyed my K7XX's, you now can fill in the mid-fi purgatory trinity!)
 
@Soundsgoodtome was a bit late, but damn, he brought those sweet Fostex/Massdrop THX00 Mahogany cans, yummy!
 
@thegerman959, super nice set up, love the Senns!
 
@markus94103 good luck on thinning the herd and having the better half approve the next upgrade. you made MrsForBin very happy parting with the Q701's. she loved them (very) poorly driven at Echo Audio in PDX, she loves them even more on her Schitt stack! (happy wife, happy life.)
 
MrsForBin lived in Bellingham in a galaxy far, far, away and a long time ago. she has been bugging me to spend a weekend there and tour me through her old haunts.
 
this is a very nice town. great brew, great food, friendly folks on the other side of the counter, and a laid back, welcoming vibe.
 
@discombob, you had better do this again!

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

I don't think anyone took pics so I took the scenic route home to snap some, Chuckanut Drive from Bellingham to Allen:

 

[gefski]

Super job discombob. Really worth the drive up. Lots of opportunity to listen to music, switch around gear, chat with everyone.

Standouts for me:

Thanks to soundsgoodtome and muziqboy for the exposure to Rednet. Tapped into Andrew's I came away with a single impression overall. A couple slightly dirty panes of glass had been removed, while the essence of the Yggy sound remained unchanged. This "unchanged" factor is not trivial. Sometimes we gain transparency, but pay a price with some irritating "edge" popping up.

Eric's HE1000 was a fabulous listen. Relaxed and neutral, yet detail in spades. An "all night long" can. My WA6 didn't have quite the dynamic capability for it though. thegerman959's WA6SE would be the ticket.

DrForBin's K7XX was good. If I add one to the DT880 & HD650, it'll be MidFi Avenue.

Nice to hear Grados (discombob) again. May be on to something with those shallower G-cush.

Gil's rig, lots of sparkle & transparency. Reminded me of LS35A air. Thanks for the grumpies, Big Poppa.

markus94103 sold some 701's? Didn't see that happen.

Thumbs up on Andrew's Fostex. They sounded better than when new; the abuse must have helped.

Delicious bison burger and brews at Aslan.

Next year? If so, count me in!

 

[DrForBin]

hello,
 
@Soundsgoodtomeyou are a much braver person than i am!

 
i did it on the way up (closer to the wall) and i was freaked and HAPPY with the Audi.

 

[discombob]

I have to agree that was a blast, and perhaps just the right size (and certainly quality) group to really dig in on the discussion and sharing.  Gefski's comments basically sum up the atmosphere, but hopefully the weather is better for everyone next time so part of the aftermeet could be visiting one of the many beautiful spots in B'ham.
 
It shouldn't be a problem to host this at least annually for now so long as I'm still with WECU.

 

[DrForBin]

hello,
 
@discombob, works for me!

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Shout out to @discombob for putting together a meet at a great location. I'm surprised more Vancouver guys didn't show up being so close to Canada! Their loss, next time we need to put a dedicated shoutout for them on the threads to get out the notice. Had a great time, the venue was fantastic, looking around the room which I think was meant for seminars and presentations, there were good amount of acoustic treatment compared to what we're used to up here -- noticed carpeted panels on the walls between the glass windows. This venue could easily hold 2-3x more attendees and the room noise floor would probably be good for a meet.

Had a great time meeting everyone new and seeing familiar faces like Gil, Eric, and Glenn. Finally being able to meet Mrs and Mr DrForbin was cool; super bonus points as he brought beer and Eric ordered some AMAZING pizza that was not your typical stuff!! There was a good spread of gear across and even with somewhat smaller turnout I still didn't get a chance to listen to everything. I've come to realize that meets where you bring your own gear are not meant to be for you to experience fully -- as no matter what you'll have to answer questions and explain little quirks about your gear every now and then. Perhaps one of these times I will just bring a headphone to test other peoples gear just I can dedicate most time to socializing and listening -- sans having to deal with my own gear.

Either way a lot of good audio chat occurred, people asking questions and commenting on audio related things. The Fostex wowed - the Hifimans were as usual a polarizing welcome being either really liked or disliked. The Focusrite Rednets for the first time made a Head-fi meet, shouldn't be long until that fully catches on to something a little less pro-audio and more mainstream for 2ch guys to use (somewhat a pita with a learning curve to use).

Looking forward for this to be an annual meet!

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Next year, can we make this place THE spot post meet?

http://www.yelp.com/biz/keenans-at-the-pier-bellingham