[BunnyNamedCraig]

Hey Dude! Thyanks for not calling me for breakfast-I am stunned... lol

if I had your number you would have been enjoying that with us!!!

 

[fzman]

The pizza and the taco place were both great-as was the company-good times!

 

[lambdastorm]

Hmm lots of praise for RAAL headphones here. From the photos it doesn’t seem like they have earpads or any way of creating a seal, I wonder if it has enough bass?

 

[elira]

Hmm lots of praise for RAAL headphones here. From the photos it doesn’t seem like they have earpads or any way of creating a seal, I wonder if it has enough bass?

They have zero seal and good bass.

 

[lambdastorm]

They have zero seal and good bass.

How would you compare them to high-end planars like Abyss and HE6? Does it have the same amount of impact/slam?

 

[alota]

The pizza and the taco place were both great-as was the company-good times!

Your feedback aboute jade II considering your experience? Really appreciated

 

[Keithpgdrb]

How would you compare them to high-end planars like Abyss and HE6? Does it have the same amount of impact/slam?

The he6 has an amazing amount of slam.

 

[lambdastorm]

The he6 has an amazing amount of slam.

Yeah to this day I still regret selling them. But what most people don't know is that a well-driven HD560 can slam almost as hard as HE6. And I'm talking about the first revision HE560 with SMC connectors stored in a wooden box, not those that bear 2.5mm connectors and comes in a vinyl-looking box, those have different (read:simplified) drivers. Folks who still owns HE6 are dead serious about power while those who have 560 either doesn't care or doesn't expect much SQ improvement with power and that's why most people dismiss 560 as mid-fi. On a very powerful speaker amp, the HE560 actually sounds pretty close to the HE6, with just soundstage, bass depth and mid fullness trailing behind a little bit. And even that can be remedied with a better cable and a speaker amp.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Good blog post about the MQA seminar at the end of RMAF that was a real Charlie Foxtrot (as is MQA, but that’s another discussion).

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/10/musings-on-rmaf-2018-mqa-talk.html

 

[joshuachew]

Anyone has impressions on the Woo Audio WA11?
Planning on using it via 4.4 out with my 1Z.
Impressions much appreciated.

 

[Zachik]

Anyone has impressions on the Woo Audio WA11?
Planning on using it via 4.4 out with my 1Z.
Impressions much appreciated.

Copied from my own impressions (post #186):

Woo Audio WA11 Passport

• Always nice to meet and chat with Mike and Jack @WooAudio. Very friendly folks with great products ranging from reasonable ($700-800) priced all the way to super high-end ($15,000) amps that cost and weigh as much as a car
• The new WA11 is a Solid State portable DAC/Amp. You heard it - no tubes!
• The WA11 sounds absolutely fantastic. I am a big fan of Woo Audio, and this non-tube amp sounds just like the Woo Audio house sound. No idea how, but it does!

I would add / clarify:
The prototypes at the show were not the final design. The WA11 should be ready before end of the year (i.e. within a month or 2).
The sound is great - very smooth mids, strong and impactful bass, highs not harsh or piercing. Plenty of power! Built-in DAC is very good (I believe same as the one in WA8).

 

[joshuachew]

Copied from my own impressions (post #186):

I would add / clarify:
The prototypes at the show were not the final design. The WA11 should be ready before end of the year (i.e. within a month or 2).
The sound is great - very smooth mids, strong and impactful bass, highs not harsh or piercing. Plenty of power! Built-in DAC is very good (I believe same as the one in WA8).

Thank you for your impressions Bro. I've preordered it. Now the waiting game....

 

[iDesign]

Did anyone attend the MQA talk at RMAF? The MQA folks in the audience ruined what could've been an interesting presentation. I was looking forward to a non-biased critical evaluation of MQA, but the constant interruptions and finger pointing was sad behavior (you can see this begin at the 13 minute mark). As Chris Connaker said at the end, "Why don't we talk about something less controversial, how about Kavanaugh". For further reference, here is the video.

MQA's executives were completely unprofessional and their entire company should be embarrassed. The truth about MQA does not "lie somewhere in the middle," rather it rests on the simple facts that the MQA technology is not perfect and they poorly handled its introduction to the market from the beginning. Had MQA's team done those two things perfectly, no one would have ever questioned it. MQA’s executives need to accept they made mistakes that led to this. Period.

 

[Zachik]

Thank you for your impressions Bro. I've preordered it. Now the waiting game....

You're most welcome.
I think you'll be very happy with the WA11, once it arrives - its sound is absolutely Woo's sound, despite being solid state! Quite a remarkable achievement

 

[jude]

I wonder if they've modified the sound since I'd heard it at CanJam NYC 2018 in a quiet room. Great fit, finish, overall sound, but too rolled off under 50 hz.

@Mark Up, the Meze Empyrean has changed since CanJam NYC. I've been listening to the production Empyrean (with microfiber earpads) (from the Chord Hugo TT2 / Hugo M Scaler stack), and its bass extension is outstanding -- no roll-off under 50 Hz that I can hear.

When I have the time later today, I'll post the Meze Audio Empyrean measurements.