[Skylab]

I had a GREAT time at this meet. Thanks to AndyK (and his wife!) for all his hard work - this was a really well attended, fun meet! It was cool to have it in a hi-fi store. There were a LOT of great rigs, but as usual, I spent as much if not more time talking to people than listening to music. It was great to see Ryan, Steve, Mike, Andy, John, Ray, Charles, Stacy, Paul, and Keith again (hope I'm not forgetting anyone!), as well as meeting some new folks!

Posting pics, and then impressions:

That's my son at my table at the end

Impressions:

* Audio Addict had the Shuguang Treasure CV181's in his RSA Stealth (see pic above). Listening to them confirmed the impression I have of the ST CV181 (I bought one too and have had it for a couple weeks) - this is a VERY good sounding tube, and the best sounding Chinese tube I have ever personally heard.

* Ultrasone Ed 8 - as best I could tell from a meet, they sounded great. I hope to be able to get a pair to review somehow. They are a little small, and people with larger ears will have trouble. But they are nice to look at, and sound even better.

* Koss ESP950 - wow do these sound good. Given the price, and the fact that they are currently in production, this is an under-rated way to get into electrostats. I'm surprised more people don't have them. Again, show conditions and all, but I was impressed by them. Even more impressive though was the 25 year old Koss ES10. They sounded even better than the ES950 - maybe a lot better. Maybe just a little better than 25 year old headphones have a right to.

* RSA A-10 Thunderbolt - I had some issues on my end which have caused me to interrupt my review of the A-10, but listening to it again at the meet with a Meridien CD player confirms that it's a terrific sounding am,p. Looking forward to getting to finish my review (which won't happen until after RMAF).

* GLF's Bottlehead + Revolutiuon Audio CDP + HD650 sounded *really* good. Another example of why Synergy is important - this was his entire rig, and it sounded great.

I always have fun at meets. This one was super-fun. Thanks again AndyK!

 

[boomana]

What a great looking set-up for a meet. Look forward to more impressions.

 

[terriblepaulz]

Another fun meet. My stay was really brief, but I got a chance to see some old faces and new as well. My only real listen was to the HF-2s (thanks to both Ryan and Beely), and I am now feeling happy about my purchase. I have to give big big ups to Germania for the quickie DIY cable job she did for me. The soldering station is something I have never seen at a meet. Great idea. I am also intrigued by the prototype Bluetooth amp/dac thingie she brought - very cool!

 

[Absorbine_Sr]

I'm really sorry I missed hearing GLF's rig. His Bottlehead has always impressed me, and though it may be false, I'm claiming inspiration for the Opus. I know it now has to be a formidable rig.

And the meet overall looks awesome. Sorry I couldn't be there.

A_Sr

 

[elrod-tom]

Looks like y'all had a great meet. Hope I can make it to the next one.

 

[vcoheda]

would love to give the A10 a listen. hopefully next fall NY meet.

 

[Snacks]

Thanks for the pictures and impressions thusfar. Looks like a fun meet, with a ton of exotic gears! Cannot wait to see more pictures and read more impressions!

 

[-=Resonant_Rebel=-]

Hi everybody,

I'm gonna tell you right now- this was my first Head-Fi.org Event and loved it! Thanks for making this a great learning experience and I hope to stay active on these boards and learn much more in the near future. Here are some pictures (Click to see larger) and some of my thoughts at the bottom:

















- SONY R10's - Owned by Ray Samuels, you know how good they are.

- Ultrasone Edition 8's - They sound fantastic and seem to be a great bang for the buck (around $1500 I Understand).

- PS Audio High Definition CD Player & DAC - Great presentation, HUGE amount of perks for the price. Love the buffering.

- R/S A-10 Amplifier - WOW, what a great amp, the machining on the chassis seems to be perfect, mode switching is seamless and completely balanced.

- Cary Mono Amplifier - This was at the "After Party" @ Ray's house. He had two for his dual channel set up and my god, those nice speakers with the A-10 and those Mono Amps- Gorgeous.

- The Turntable - Just wanted to comment on it, don;t know what brand it is- but it sounded absolutely amazing.

- Meridian G08 CD Player - Through the system I heard (Ray's) it sounded and played VERY nice. I personally prefer Vinyl!

All in all, I had a great time and it was fun meeting you all. Definitely worth the 1 1/2 hr drive! I have never put something so expensive on my head (R10's).

I'm a noobie but I would like to get into this stuff0 also, I am a web designer if anyone needs anything- maybe we can barter.

Thanks and happy listening,

Spencer D.
-=Resonant_Rebel=-
---------
Spencer@SDevino.com
AdaptedInnovations.com

 

[Rob N]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif * Audio Addict had the Shuguang Treasure CV181's in his RSA Stealth (see pic above). Listening to them confirmed the impression I have of the ST CV181 (I bought one too and have had it for a couple weeks) - this is a VERY good sounding tube, and the best sounding Chinese tube I have ever personally heard.

I wonder how these compare to the original Mullard ECC32/CV181

 

[UncleDavid218]

First off, thanks to everyone who helped put this meet on. I've been to similar meets in my other hobbies but nothing rivaled this one, honestly. I wish I would have been able to stay longer however time did not allow. At the next meet I will stay for its entirety. Living in Duluth, MN is amazing. One problem though is the only hi-fi I get to hear are things that I purchase on my own dime. I've been in the hobby for a few months now and have owned two very different headphones: K701 and 325i. After listening to the headphones at the meet I'm quite confident my next phone is either going to be HD600, HD650, or HD800. And if I can swing it I'll amp it by something from Ray Samuels Audio. Being a college student may make this difficult but I think it will be worth it. I'm also going to put together a portable rig before school and I will definitely be using Ray Samuels for amplification.

Overall I was very impressed with all of the rigs. They were all different and I appreciate the variety. Here are some pictures that I took (the ones that turned out anyway):

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob N /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wonder how these compare to the original Mullard ECC32/CV181

I'll have more to say on this later in another thread - I have been using Mullard ECC32's for quite a while, and they do sound a little different. The ECC32 is a just a little smoother and more laid back - the Treasure is a little livelier, but not in a bad way, really. It's a surprisingly good sounding tube.

Usual cautions: the CV181 is not a drop-in replacement for the 6SN7, as it draws 50% more heater current. But in the DV 336SE it works fine, and certainly the RSA Stealth's massive power supply has no problem whatsoever - Ray was commenting at the meet that the supply can deliver 3 amps at 12 volts - the CV181 draws .95 a @6.3V - so there is no problem with the CV181 in the Stealth.

Actually, there is one problem. The pics all show the Stealth without the top plate, because the porcelain base of the Treasure CV181 is wider than normal, and it won't fit through the hole in the Stealth's top plate that is designed for the 6SN7.

Back to the meet:

I also loved Keith's vintage Yamaha receiver. I didn't get to listen to it, but it is a beauty to behold

 

[Ishcabible]

Shoot, if I knew Ray was bringing his nice gear, I'd have WALKED from the golf course!

 

[belac]

Thanks to all for the updates and pictures. Looks like everyone was having a great time. Can't wait until I have the chance to attend my first meet.

 

[robm321]

Very nice venue. Seems like a fun time. Looking forward to reading more impressions

 

[andyk]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all very much for attending. I know a lot of you drove great distances in terrible traffic and road conditions, to be at the Meet. I very much appreciate the day you gave.

Thank you to all of the Vendors and Manufacturers who attended and/or donated gear for the Meet. We all very much appreciate the support of the industry!

Thanks to Ray Samuels for buying Pizza for everyone (we have GREAT, REAL Italian Pizza joints in Kenosha)

Thanks to PS Audio for sending a rep with the new Power Plant Premier and Perfect Wave. Craig Swanson who owns Epic Audio store that hosted the Meet site is an authorized dealer for PS Audio. I am in love with those two pieces. The WooAudio WA6 looked like it was made by the same company!!! The synergy with my Grado RS-2's was AMAZING. I think I know what I'm getting for Christmas this year:

More pics:

Thanks to my daughter Amanda for helping with the raffle, and also to her boypren John for helping the last few hours. I couldn't have done it without you guys!

Thanks to Craig Swanson, Diane Swanson (Craig's wife) and Max (Craig's landlord) for allowing us into your stores! I know it was a lot of work and we really appreciated the hospitality! Guys, Diane was last seen sweeping up after us, so we all owe a debt of gratitude to her! THANK YOU, DIANE!

I wish I would have taken more pics, talked with more people, listened to more rigs, and had more time, but it really isn't possible when playing host. Anyone that is going to host should read the sticky about hosting a Meet-it is DEAD ON right. I would encourage EVERYONE to try hosting a Meet. It is very educational and you will make a lot of new contacts!

See you at the next Meet,

Andy