ServinginEcuador
Founder of the Head-Fi Pay-to-Post Program.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2002
- Posts
- 8,384
- Likes
- 17
First of all, a huge thanks to Smokey and his mom for making the meet at his place a real blast. They stocked up on pretzels and Dr. Pepper just for me, and that personal touch really made the meet flow smoothly. The pizza at the end of the day just topped everything off. I totally enjoyed the time spent with Smokey, Carlo, and StuartR.
As to the gear we had a great time listening to all kinds of stuff. A big hit was Smokey's tube rectified Weebl zzz built him. It truly is a space heater, but the sound it makes is awe inspiring. I borrowed it for a couple of weeks, and will compare it to the Egmont Reference and my KGSS over that time frame.
I did some comparisons of my Denon vs. the Cary 306/200. Using StuartR's Melos the difference was minimal, even using an SACD on my unit vs. a redbook on the Cary. That difference was increased once the Weebl was hooked-up. The sheer speed of the Weebl and Omega II really showed me what this CDP is capable of doing. I also plan on doing some listening tests with my unit over the next week against a heavily modified Shanling T200 SACD player, so stand by for that also. In just about two weeks I am sending my unit in to have it rewired with some Siltech wiring, which is said to make some pretty substantial improvements over the stuff currently inside it. Time will tell.
Smokey had an Aural solid state amp on hand for audition also. I didn't like it that much and felt that for the price there are several amps out there that beat it.
Carlo is truly the Melos Man! He brought along his latest creation he was working on for Smokey, and spent a lot of the day fiddling with it. Stuart's Melos was there and we all took time listening to it with the various cans we had.
The Leatherheads weren't much of a hit with me. They just seemed like the W2002s with a slight refinement. Admitedly I only spent about 10 minutes with them, so my opnion carries little value.
I must now recant EVERYTHING I said about the R10 not having enough bass. I listened to them using the Melos and Aural amps, and with either one the bass was deep and quite impactful! There was no lack of bass at anytime I listened to them. I guess the problem with the pair I originally heard was simply the EAR HP4 and not the Sony. I can still say I still much prefer the Omega II, especially when using the Weebl. I will have access to the R10s here in my system for a good four days of private use, and plan to spend a tremendous amount of time listening to them and comparing them against the O2/Weebl combo.
I had a great time meeting the three other head-fi members at the meet, and they made it totally enjoyable. I was there from 11am until about 9:30pm that night, and I was wiped out when it was over. This made me really look forward to the meet coming up this Saturday where there will be another 27 people to meet and talk with while sharing some incredible gear together.
I didn't take any photos at the meet, but Stuart should scan his and post them when he finishes off his roll and grades all the papers he needs to get done.
Thanks for everything Smokey!
As to the gear we had a great time listening to all kinds of stuff. A big hit was Smokey's tube rectified Weebl zzz built him. It truly is a space heater, but the sound it makes is awe inspiring. I borrowed it for a couple of weeks, and will compare it to the Egmont Reference and my KGSS over that time frame.
I did some comparisons of my Denon vs. the Cary 306/200. Using StuartR's Melos the difference was minimal, even using an SACD on my unit vs. a redbook on the Cary. That difference was increased once the Weebl was hooked-up. The sheer speed of the Weebl and Omega II really showed me what this CDP is capable of doing. I also plan on doing some listening tests with my unit over the next week against a heavily modified Shanling T200 SACD player, so stand by for that also. In just about two weeks I am sending my unit in to have it rewired with some Siltech wiring, which is said to make some pretty substantial improvements over the stuff currently inside it. Time will tell.
Smokey had an Aural solid state amp on hand for audition also. I didn't like it that much and felt that for the price there are several amps out there that beat it.
Carlo is truly the Melos Man! He brought along his latest creation he was working on for Smokey, and spent a lot of the day fiddling with it. Stuart's Melos was there and we all took time listening to it with the various cans we had.
The Leatherheads weren't much of a hit with me. They just seemed like the W2002s with a slight refinement. Admitedly I only spent about 10 minutes with them, so my opnion carries little value.
I must now recant EVERYTHING I said about the R10 not having enough bass. I listened to them using the Melos and Aural amps, and with either one the bass was deep and quite impactful! There was no lack of bass at anytime I listened to them. I guess the problem with the pair I originally heard was simply the EAR HP4 and not the Sony. I can still say I still much prefer the Omega II, especially when using the Weebl. I will have access to the R10s here in my system for a good four days of private use, and plan to spend a tremendous amount of time listening to them and comparing them against the O2/Weebl combo.
I had a great time meeting the three other head-fi members at the meet, and they made it totally enjoyable. I was there from 11am until about 9:30pm that night, and I was wiped out when it was over. This made me really look forward to the meet coming up this Saturday where there will be another 27 people to meet and talk with while sharing some incredible gear together.
I didn't take any photos at the meet, but Stuart should scan his and post them when he finishes off his roll and grades all the papers he needs to get done.
Thanks for everything Smokey!