It’s Like Head-Fi, Only Live and in Real Time!
Come join us in the Sky Lobby room on the 16th floor of the New York Marriott Marquis for a series of interactive discussion panels with some of the industry’s leading experts in audio technology. Always entertaining, extremely engaging, and very informative, these seminars give you a behind the scenes look at the headphone audio industry like nothing else. Spaces are limited, so be sure to arrive early. See you there!
Saturday, February 22, 2025
From a Little Spark May Burst a Flame
11:00a to Noon
Though Dante couldn’t possibly have had audiophiles in mind in his journey through heaven, his words are fittingly just the same, and especially so in the case of Rob Watts. Join Rob for a personal and heartfelt recounting of the pivotal moments that led him to a lifelong pursuit of audio excellence — as he shares all that he’s learned along the way. You might be surprised to discover how much his journey mirrors your own, as we all continue our search for insight into the very human side of music appreciation and high-fidelity audio.
SPEAKER: Rob Watts, Digital Design Consultant
These Are the Dark Ages: The Problems of Current Headphone Measurements
Noon to 1:00p
Headphones have been measured for over 50 years now, and yet we still can’t predict listeners' impressions of headphones like we can with speakers. In the absence of good predictive results from measurements, we've entered an era of fundamental doubt about the ability of objective measures to provide a full analysis of headphones, and many completely un-evidenced measurements have been proposed to fill this gap. We have progress, but also dogma, mysticism, confusion, and fanatical interpretations of what audio data is and means - we are in the dark ages. These problems won't be solved quickly, but let’s identify them to start working towards the headphone renaissance.
SPEAKER: Blaine LaCross (Mad Economist), Headphones.com
New Headphone Target Curves Defined on the B&K 5128: How Different Do They Sound and Which One is Most Preferred?
2:00p to 3:00p
The release of the Brüel & Kjær 5128 HATS in 2018 ushered in a new standard in accurate headphone measurements. Its introduction also meant that headphone target curves defined on the older standard were no longer valid when measured on the 5128. Since then, several different headphone target curves for the 5128 have been proposed, but most lack scientific validation based on controlled listening tests. This raises an important question: how different do they sound from one another, and which one is most preferred? Updated for 2025, this talk will give an overview of the various headphone target curves proposed, how they were derived, and some analysis of how different they sound from one another.
SPEAKER: Dr. Sean Olive, Senior Fellow, Acoustic Research, Harman International
Proposal For a New Target Curve for Open Type Headphones
3:00p to 4:00p
In the history of headphone development, there have been different performance targets. Invented for telephony, initial targets focused on transmitting speech with good intelligibility. In the 1960s and 1970s, headphones were increasingly used for listening to music, shifting focus to a straight frequency response on measurement couplers. In the 1980s, free-field and diffuse-field equalizations battled, with diffuse-field equalization prevailing. And in 2013, the Harman target curve became the most-accepted target curve. Today, to reflect a greater emphasis on fidelity, Grell Audio presents a proposal for a new target curve and further specifications.
SPEAKER: Axel Grell, Founder & CEO, Grell Audio
The Watercooler’s 2024 Products of the Year
6:00p to 6:30p
2024 was a banner year for personal audio products — and the members of both Watercooler Threads have voted for their favorites! Join us for a community awards ceremony — and a bonus giveaway sponsored by Bloom Audio — to honor the winners of all seven categories: Performance IEM of the Year, Premier IEM of the Year, Flagship IEM of the Year, Headphone of the Year, Amp of the Year, DAC of the Year, and All-In-One System of the Year. Don’t miss this celebration, and don’t forget to stop by Bloom Audio’s exhibit on Saturday before the show ends to enter the giveaway.
PRESENTERS: Rockwell75 (The Watercooler); HiFiHawaii808 (The Watercooler); Goldwerger (The Watercooler Headphone Edition)
Sunday, February 23, 2025
From Tin Foil to Digital: Tracing the Evolution of Sound Recording
11:00a to Noon
Thomas Edison invented the Phonograph in 1877, marking the first device capable of recording and playing back sound. However, there’s more to that incredible story than you might think and other players involved you may not realize were a part. This period laid the groundwork for modern audio technology, transforming how sound could be preserved, reproduced, and ultimately shared with the world. Join Tal Kocen from Dekoni Audio, while he describes early recording techniques, and demonstrates the use of an original vintage Standard Edison Phonograph from the early 1900s.
SPEAKER: Tal Kocen, Co-Founder and COO, Dekoni Audio
The Power of Headphone EQ: An Introduction to OPRA
Noon to 1:00p
Your headphones are capable of more than you may think - headphone equalization can be a powerful tool in correcting technical idiosyncrasies and adjusting sound to match your individual taste. However, the world of EQ can seem daunting with its technical jargon and manual struggles. This seminar will introduce attendees to OPRA from Roon, an open source EQ compensation community where enthusiasts can dive into their headphone optimization journey. We'll explore how headphone EQ settings are derived and the contribution of OPRA to your ideal listening experience.
SPEAKERS: Rob Darling, Director of Roon Partnerships; Konstantin Davy (oratory1990), Acoustic Engineer
What Almost Everyone Gets Wrong About Frequency Response
2:00p to 3:00p
Is the Harman research "just what an average person prefers"? What is a "preference target", and why do people keep talking about it? Surely headphones won't sound the same with sine waves and with music? Is a headphone that doesn't match a target automatically bad? Come on a journey through common misconceptions about the most important, most discussed, and most misinterpreted measurement in headphones.
SPEAKER: Blaine LaCross (Mad Economist), Headphones.com
Digital Demystified
3:00p to 4:00p
With streaming increasingly taking center stage as the de facto way to consume music for many of us, digital audio performance is more important than ever. Join Rob Watts for a comprehensive survey of the various digital-to-analogue conversion topologies available to us. Learn all about Delta-Sigma, R-2R, 1-bit, and other conversion methods — including Chord’s FPGA technology — to gain the firm foundation necessary to finding the optimal solution for your needs. Don’t be mystified by digital any longer. Suitable for all experience levels.
SPEAKER: Rob Watts, Digital Design Consultant